Claust von Lowen
Claust von Lowen is a fallen aasimar played by Mikel Barrenechea. He is a Paladin, following an Oath of Vengeance. Intro At first, the man looked like any other old geriatric; the typical haggard beard, with equally haggard hair painted white with age, wrinkles along his leathery face and eyes beginning to go dull. At first I felt sorry for him as he bumped into that group of drunkards down the road, clutching tightly to his cloak as he tried to protect his weary body from the downpour. At first I wanted to step in and help as the thugs started pushing the poor man around, especially when one brought out a dagger. Those feelings quickly changed when I saw the old man swiftly lop off the hands of the armed thug with a single swipe. While the thug was reeling in pain, one of his friends grabbed his cloak by the hood and pulled it off. Uncovered, I realized that this was no ordinary old man. He was wearing battle-worn armor; the dents and bloodstains of countless battles were scattered all over the surprisingly shiny metal, though his right arm was covered with some black cloth wrapped tightly around it. What had looked like wrinkles on leathery skin at first had turned out to be countless scars all over his face; who knows just how much lay under his armor still? Eyes that seemed to be going blind were in fact just naturally pure white, and they could see just fine. With another quick slash, he slit the throat of the thug behind him, who was still clutching at the man's hood. The other two jumped on him, while a third readied to bring down his blade onto the man's head. In one swift motion, he grabbed the sword by the blade with his right hand, blood trickling down the black cloth as he somehow crushed it in his grip. The black wraps began to unravel, revealing what laid beneath. His hand had sharp claw-like growths forming a sickeningly organic gauntlet, connecting to row of shell-like growths lining the side of his forearm, while the exposed skin was colored a pitch black hue, strange purple veins running across its length. With another swift movement, the white-haired man thrust his right fist through the thug's jaw, before stabbing one of the thugs who had jumped onto him through the heart. Now, the last and final thug had began making his escape, falling to the ground as the alcohol buckled his legs. When he turned around, the white-haired man was standing over him, casting his ominous shadow. He grabbed the man's head with his right arm and hoisted him up almost effortlessly. The thug began to madly flail about, his screams muffled by the palm of the white-haired man's hand. Through the torrential rain, I could see the white-haired man's mouth moving as he began chanting something. Suddenly, white light began emanating from the thug, his body now shaking violently. Moments later, a flash of blinding light came from the thug, and after that he was still. The man let go of the now dead thug, took his cloak from the hands of his gang members corpse, and simply went on his way. Description Personality Unbeknownst to most Claust has 2 other beings residing in his body, each with their own personality; imprisoned there by Claust himself. The first being, a demon known as Xygan, is sealed within his right arm, has a tendency to revel in chaos and debauchery, often surfacing when Claust is presented certain temptations, or things he would usually enjoy. In battle, he usually surfaces when Claust is about to land a decisive blow on an enemy. He particularly enjoys crushing skulls, disemboweling foes, and striking fear in those around him, all from within the confines of Claust's right arm. It should be noted that he does have an unusual penchant for music, often enjoying listening to minstrels and bards playing on the streets, before aptly frightening them. The second being is actually his former angelic guide, Freya, who he has sealed within his eyes. Being an angelic being, Freya usually surfaces when talk of religion or gods comes up, always offering one of her god's teachings in the middle of battle. Though she can be rather harsh when others reject her words or rebuke her belief in her own god, and by then she will have no qualms in ending an opponents life. Like Xygan's taste for music, she has a "strange liking to the materials mortals consume", particularly sweets. At the center of these two lies Claust von Lowen, a usually cold and calculating man, or at least he appears to be while he is focused on keeping the two other souls inside him at bay. Having been raised in a monastery, he used to be a devout believer of the gods, though now he cares not for matters of faith; dark and holy alike. During his time as a bounty hunter, his belief in the lack of both true good and evil was only strengthened. He has a soft spot for bar maidens, and often visits local watering holes to either sample the local wines, or the locals themselves (at the behest of one of his occupants). Appearance Claust looks like a typical rugged old man, his ivory white hair and facial hair both bear the marks of his age. From afar one would think that the lines on his face were the telltale wrinkles of time's jaws taking hold on him, but upon closer inspection they are actually scars from numerous battles he has survived. His eyes have nearly gone completely white, yet he can see just as well as any other adult. He favors heavy armor, though he never covers his right arm with it. Instead, he perennially has a strange black cloth wrapped tightly around it. Due to the beings sealed within his body, his right arm and his eyes have been changed drastically. His the skin on his right arm has become as black as pitch and as rough as stone. Gray stone-like growths have formed on claws on his hand, and a line of chitinous shells line his forearm. His eyes used to be jet black, but they turned a pale white after Freya was sealed in them. If one looks closely enough, the cloudiness in his eyes seems to be moving, like rolling clouds in the sky. Biography (Feel free to add/remove/edit sub-section titles of your character's Biography as you see fit. The three subsections below are just examples.) Early life Claust was born into a rich family of knights, his aasimaric heritage going unknown until eventually, the neighboring families heard of his strange habits; claiming he heard a woman's voice whispering to him and could see beings bathed in bright light. Causing quite a scandal with neither of his parents or their ancestors having been aasimar, he was abandoned shortly after his ninth birthday at a remote monastery in the mountains, where he was subsequently raised by templar knights and men and women of the cloth. During his childhood and well into his teens, he would often spend his day running errands for the men and women of the monastery and heading into the nearby town on their usual missions of faith, such as feeding the poor, healing the sick, or solving disputes between the citizens. All the while, he would hear the woman's voice, guiding him in what she called "The One's Path". Life as an adventurer During most of his early teen years, he would join the templars in their missions to keep the peace in the nearby towns, apprehending criminals and helping mete out justice. Claust's "connection" with what the adults called "angels" is what made him a valuable asset to the templars, often getting information from the woman who would speak to him that normal people would never catch onto. Though once he turned 20,he requested to join the templars on one of their more dangerous missions, routing a group of cultists that were hiding in one of the nearby towns.After weeks of begging, the head templar reluctantly agreed to let him accompany the party. After a 4 day trek, Claust and the templars arrived at the ruins of what used to be a bustling own. Fires were still raging on, and the scent of burning flesh and death was almost as overpowering as the smoke. Spreading out, the templars searched the town for either survivors to save, or surviving cultists to slay; after a day of searching they found neither. Claust on the other hand, roamed the ruins at the request of his unseen guide. She spoke to him of a book not meant for these templars, and that he had to find it in accordance with the One's Path. Sifting through rubble, he finally found the book his guide spoke of, in the clutches of what looked to be one of the cultists. The book alone looked evil. Strange glowing runes were written on its cover, which seemed to be made of some tanned hide. The pages on the side were stained with blood, most likely the cultist's. There was also a padlock keeping the book shut, with no visible keyhole. Following his guide's commands, Claust made sure to hide the book from the templars and to bring it back with him to the monastery. Fateful Encounter During the trip back, Claust found that his guide had remained silent during the 4 day trip, an unusual event but one he brushed off as nothing. It was one evening, shortly after they had arrived that his guide spoke to him once more. Something was different this time, especially since in the middle of the night, there was a woman with wings of an angel floating in his room. Startled, Claust leaped out of his bed, frightened of the figure. Then, she spoke to him. "Claust, I am Freya." she said, in a voice all to familiar to Claust, "I have come to personally guide you along the next step on the One's Path." She brought forth the book that he had found and handed it to him. "Open it," she commanded, "And unleash the demon within on these unrepentant sinners." Taken aback, Claust asked Freya what purpose would that serve. These people were his family, they had always been devout followers of the gods, so why would an angel wish for their deaths? "They failed to save the innocent more than once, that alone is a sin; even more so to live afterwards." she exclaimed, "The gods have deemed it just to unleash what slew them on these folk, only then will they be able to turn back to the light." Now angry more than anything, Claust refused once more, claiming that if going on the One's Path he didn't want to follow it anymore. While it didn't show on her face, it was clear that Freya was now angered. She raised her hand at Claust and a blast of white light shot at him, knocking him into the wall of his room. His vision fading, the last thing he could see was the woman producing a sword of light in her hand before heading outside his room. In the darkness of his unconsciousness, he heard a voice call out to him, and the book materialized itself in front of him. "Do you wish to save those you love?" the book asked, "Or will you follow the orders of the gods like a faithful lapdog?" With conviction, Claust replied no. "Then speak my name, and I shall see to it you no longer play by the rules of man and his gods." the book replied. Abyssal runes began forming in the darkness above the book, and despite never having seen then once, Claust found himself able to read them. "Xygan" The moment Claust uttered the name, he saw the book's padlock crack apart, and as the book opened a black wave shot out. When the wave of darkness hit him, Claust felt pain wash over him, but just as suddenly as it came, the pain dissipated. "Now, we've got a little bird to silence." Xygan said, his voice echoing in Claust's mind. An Angel, a Demon, and a Man When he came to, Claust found himself surrounded by white fires. The monastery he had grown up in was burning. In the distance he could hear the faint sound of metal clashing and of flesh being cut. Slowly getting up off the ground, he ran towards the sound. All around him, all the familiar faces he had grown to know lay dead on the cold floor. Fueled by anger, Claust now began running even faster. He finally reached the inner sanctum, where he saw Freya praying over the bodies of the slain templars. She turned to look at him, fully aware of his presence. "Their blood is on your hands child." she stated coldly, "Come, let me free you from your sins." Claust tried to utter something, but when he opened his mouth t was not his voice he heard. He noticed he wasn't even saying what he had wanted to at all. "Freya, it's been a while, hasn't it?" Xygan said, letting out a sinister cackle, "Nearly 100 years since you stuck me in that book, and now you have the audacity to ask me to do your dirty work?" "Xygan, the gods deemed it necessary for you to redeem yourself." Freya replied, extending her hand to the pile of dead bodies, "But seeing as you and that child wasted that chance, I took it upon myse- Before she could finish her sentence, Xygan slashed at her with Claust's sword, spraying white blood all over the tiled floor. Soon, the two began their battle. From within the recesses of his mind, Claust could only watch as his body fought against the angel. It was during their fight he realized neither Xygan or Freya would stop here. Searching through the darkness, he noticed that the book was still there, laid open. He took the book and began reading, searching for anything that could tell him how to stop the two beings fighting on the other side. Time seemed to stand still as he flipped through the pages, and after what seemed like and eternity, he found what he was looking for. The pages foretold of a method used long before to slay forces such as these; sealing both divine and occult into a mortal vessel, binding them to its very essence, in order to give them true death. His resolved steeled, fueled by both anger and sadness at the loss of the monastery and all those he had come to know, he began performing the ritual. = The Aftermath The two entities continued their fight, blood of both demon and angel alike splattered all around the sanctum. the sound of blighted metal upon hallowed steel ringing throughout the empty halls. With a decisive blow, Xygan disarmed Freya and pinned her to the ground. "It is over, Freya." Xygan exclaimed, blood dripping from his vessel's head, "I have won." He raised his sword above his head, readying to put an end to the angel. But at the last moment, he stopped. Finally regaining control of his own body, Claust stabbed the sword through his right shoulder instead, and uttered the unknowable phrases he found in the book. His right arm slowly began turning a dark black hue, and gnarled, spiked growths started forming all over his forearm. Xygan was now permanently sealed within him, but not without leaving a mark for all to see. "Foolish child, you have tainted your body-nay, your very soul!" Freya exclaimed, slowly pushing herself up off the floor, "You are beyond saving..." She spread her wings, readying to fly away, but before she could take off, Claust grabbed her by the leg and pulled her down to the ground with a hard thud. He grabbed her by the head and began chanting the unknowable language once more. "You imbecile, your mortal shell can't handle the three of us!" Freya exclaimed, frantically trying to pry Claust's hands from her face, "You'll kill us all!" Before he uttered the final words, he looked at her, tears welling up in his eyes, and said "If I-we-survive this, I'll make sure you know what it is to be human." When the final words left his mouth, a white mist flowed into Claust's eyes, changing them from a dark black into a stark, cloudy white, and as his body struggled to keep the three souls within him, he slowly lost consciousness. Relationships and Affiliations Freya Freya was Claust's angelic guide before he became a fallen aasimar. Before that, she was the voice and the white figure that he would see when he was a child, her true form obscured until he understood the concept of faith. He rejected her wishes when she asked him to unleash the demon Xygan on the people in the monastery. After her battle with Xygan, Claust sealed her away in his eyes, so that she may see the world through the eyes of a mortal. Xygan Xygan was the demon that Claust unleashed from the book he took off of the cultist during his first real expedition with the templars of his monastery. He tricked Claust into letting him use his body as his vessel, utilizing Claust's anger at Freya for slaying the people in the monastery he called a home. In order to ensure that he had the most control over him, Claust sealed him away in his dominant hand, with the hope that doing so would extend his control over Xygan just a bit further. Character Information Current Tier: 1 Magic Items * * * Feats * Class Abilities Class1 Features * Feature 1 from Class 1 * Feature 2 from Class 2 Class2 Features * Feature 1 from Class 1 * Feature 2 from Class 2 Quotes and Moments -While the party asked permission from a noble to board a ship, Claust ended up scaring the poor woman when Xygan got annoyed with her stalling. -Took too damn long to realize thwarting the door ghost was as easy as holding it open. Spoiler Warning:__NOEDITSECTION__ Category:Characters